The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1887-09-17
THE TRUTH OF HISTORY.

II has become fashionable OF
late for newspaper correspondents
to deal in history, both recent and
remote. Not merely by way of,
illus ration Of the argument or
matter in hand, but as statements
Of facts supposed to have been
derived from authentic sources.
1t would be an easy thing for a
newspaper writer of average
capacity (if he had half dozen
stenog,aphers at command) TO
dictate history Of the world from
Adam to Cleveland, in one hun
dIed and fifty volumes of one
thousand pages each, if the his.
torian cared nothing for dates
aud facts and the association Of
persons, places ana events.
Several newspaper historians
assert that in recent interview
General Lewis Wallace told them
that "Ben Ilurr,' ths most noted
Of the generals works, was writ
len III the ''halls Of the Montezu-
mas" at Santa Fe, N. NJ, while
he was Governor Of that territory.
No one knows better than General
Wallace that the halls of the Mon
tezumas (if they ever existed,
which is more than doubtsuD were
upward Of twelve hundred miles
in an air line from Santa Fe, aad
that no such place as Santa Fe
existed while the Moatezumas
lived. It il therefore, morally
impossible that General Wallace
ever made any such statement.
Ano'her writer, while dilqting
on the growing greatness Of tn.
United STATES, confidently asserts
without fear Of contradiction, no
doubt, that '.the world has ever
known such growth of cIti, $ as is
now going on in America" And
he refers to New York, Chicago,
San Franci,co and other American
cities as proof OF his assertion. Is
al history a lie? Can it he that
this talented writer-for he is a
talented phrase-maker and word
painter-has never read the story
of the Moslem Caliph who, more
than u thousand years ago, found
ed the city Of Bagdad in a wilder
ness on the eastern bank Of the
Tigus, which city increased in pop
ulation so rapidly that its inhabi-
iants were numbered by the mill
ions during the lifetime of its
founder? Has he forgotten, or
never heard of, the Morlsco-Span-
ish caliph, Abdelrahman, who
built the city Of Zebra and drew
to it such a population that with
in twenty-five years its militia Ito
say nothing of old men, youths,
women and children) numbered
upwards Of a million? Has he
never heard of or read Of Alex
ander the Mascedonion, at whose
command cities greater than Chi
cago were built and peopled with
10 decade? Did not Constantine
transform the obscure town OF
Byzantium into a mighty, popu-
lous and wealthy metropolis dur,
ing single reign? 1t is true that
in many respects we excel all ma
tions and peoples now existing,
But there were great men before
Agamemnon, and popuious. brave
wealthy and highly cultivated ma
tons existed on the earth decade
Of centuries before Vespucius dis
covered the continent Of America
ga well known historian oi
Baltimore info,ms a newspapel
correspondent (and he informs lh'
worldly that while jefferson Davil
was confined in Fortress Monro'
} his wife visited Washington CITY
and Baltimore, and finding tha
Secretary Stanton was inheMbl'
! in his purpose not to release he
husband on bail. she prevailed OF
certain Influential citizens o